


i got you

by steggyisimmortal



Category: Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: 5+1, Bonding, Gen, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-22 23:28:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20000245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steggyisimmortal/pseuds/steggyisimmortal
Summary: The five times the most important people in Tony's youth were there for him.  And the one time he was ready to be there for the most important relationship of his life.





	i got you

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the music of Sonny and Cher's 'I Got You.'

* * *

**Maria - 1970**

The room was quiet and empty. Friends had been in and out all day. Nurses had come and gone at more regular intervals. The sunshine of the day had reflected her happy mood as she greeted every person that walked through the door but looking at the setting sun now, she was grateful they were all gone. Her greatest treasure in her arms, she could finally be at peace. 

Maria sighed happily.

“Hello, my darling boy.”

The baby in her arms yawned sleepily, his eyes never opening. His tiny fists waved in the air as his shoulders shifted in his mother’s arms, settling further into her warmth and security.

“My darling Antonio,” she cooed, “you are the most precious baby.”

She ran a finger down his tiny nose.

“I have been waiting for you longer than I realized.”

Maria had never been one to dream of marriage or family. Parties were fun, yes, but she saw no reason to settle down when there was so much life to live. So that’s exactly what she did. She lived her life like there was no tomorrow. She had traveled where her heart desired. She’d been to countless parties and danced many nights until the early morning. She’d listened to the greatest music in the biggest concert halls and enjoyed the most charming street performers in the most obscure of side streets. She’d rubbed elbows with some of the richest people in the world and she’d helped care for displaced families that had nothing but the clothes on their backs. 

Her grandparent’s work during the war had shown her that compassion sometimes went further than a dollar. 

She wanted to help make a difference in the world. It had seen too much destruction and hatred. She knew it didn’t have to be that way so she helped wherever she could – kitchens, shelters, parks, auctions for causes. She recognized the events designed more to stroke the ego of the social elite than to specifically help those in need but their money was all she was after so she played polite and did what she did best. 

And then a party had led her to Howard Stark.

She had heard about the man from almost everyone she knew but never had the pleasure of meeting him until the night of her birthday. It was far from love at first sight on her end but the man was persistent. She didn’t think she would keep his interest but after months of asking, she finally agreed to have coffee with him. Coffee turned into three years together which turned into a marriage proposal she never saw coming. They never truly discussed having children; Howard always seemed so terrified. When she found out she was pregnant on their second wedding anniversary, she finally realized how right it felt for her.

Howard had been a wreck through the entire pregnancy. He’d tried, though. When she’d had mild cravings for a month, instead of sending Edwin out to fetch what she was after, he went to the store himself. Of course, he came back with the wrong thing so Edwin had to assist him anyway but he’d tried. He never failed to put a smile on her face even if the outcome wasn’t correct. 

The look in his eyes when he held his son for the first time, Maria didn’t think she’d ever seen him like that. Misty eyed wonder. She knew in that moment it all became real for him. Her pregnancy was no longer a vague concept, a design not yet brought to life. She saw reflected in his expression every emotion she had experienced along the way – the first movement, the first kicks, silent moments at night wondering what her child might look like, who he or she might become. 

Maria nestled further into bed. She shifted her arms until her face was close to Tony’s. She pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, savoring the smell of him and the feel of his small weight.

“I will always be here for you, tesoro mio,” she whispered.

* * *

**Howard - 1970**

“O-o..kay. What are you doing?”

Howard held his arms out stiff, his elbows locked by his sides. Maria smiled at her husband. 

“Putting the baby in your arms,” she explained. She looked pointedly at him. “You have held him before, you know.”

“Yeah, but I was sitting down and there were other people around in case I dropped him and - ”

“Relax, darling, you’ll be fine.” She patted his cheek before searching for her purse. “I’ll be gone an hour at most.”

Panic flashed across his face.

“Wait, you’re leaving me here with him? Alone?!”

Maria continued flitting around the room as if he hadn’t spoken. She’d already explained to him last night he would be in charge of the baby while she went to her hair appointment. Anthony was already two months old. Maria had cherished every second at home with her baby but she needed an hour for herself to remember what it was like being around adults. 

“Can’t you wait until Jarvis is back? Or Ana?”

Was it just him or was his voice higher than normal?

“Edwin won’t be back until seven and Ana is busy with the store.”

“And I should be busy with the company.”

“Ha!” she laughed. “Please, your company is so big, it runs itself.”

“Maria….” Howard whined.

She turned on him with a hard glare. 

“Howard, you’re watching the baby and that’s final.” She kissed him goodbye on her way to the door. “I’ll be back soon!”

To Howard, the sound of the door shutting sounded like the door of a jail cell closing. There was no way out until she returned with the key. He eyed the empty room nervously.

He glanced down at his son. Tony stared back up at him, his lips suckling at the pacifier in his mouth. Howard smiled nervously.

“We can do this for an hour, can’t we, kid?”

Tony yawned and blinked in response. Howard sighed, looking into his son’s eyes as if he would tell him exactly how to take care of him. He readjusted the pacifier so it was back in the baby’s mouth.

“Look, all I’m asking is that you don’t cry while she’s gone. I’m still new to all this. We might both be crying by the time she gets back and no one wants that.”

He walked around the room until he found a good place to sit. Maybe if he just sat in one place for an hour, nothing would go wrong.

Luckily his scotch decanter was readily available next to him. He poured himself a drink to settle his nerves.

“I’m only telling you this because I know you won’t remember,” he started telling his son. He took a sip of his drink, closing his eyes as the fire warmed him from inside.

“I’m still not sure how I feel about this whole parenthood thing. My parents weren’t awful. They were pretty decent as far as parents go. They did the best they could with what they had. Made something out of nothing. I guess I just never saw myself being a parent. Never saw myself getting married either but here we are. Truth is, I’d do anything for your mother.”

Dark brown eyes scrutinized dark brown eyes. Every now and then, Tony would wiggle his feet or arms. The panic Howard felt when Maria placed their son in his arms was slowly dissipating. The weight of his son felt normal, natural. It was reassuring in an odd way. 

He took in his creation. He couldn’t deny Tony was a good baby so far. Not terribly fussy or loud. He didn’t cry much. He spent most of his day sleeping and if he wasn’t sleeping, he was watching the world carry on around him as if he was trying to figure out how everything worked. He would say his son got his father’s own inquisitive nature but that was all Maria. 

On their first date, she’d watched him the entire time as if searching deep into his soul for his intentions. He’d never felt so unnerved and naked in all his life. And he’d been naked a lot. With a lot of people. 

She must have seen something she liked or the right answer to her unasked question because she’d been in his life ever since. 

“Huh, she always says you look just like me but I think you look like her,” he mused. 

He set his drink down on the table and reached for his son’s fine brown hair. Tony squirmed at his father’s cold hands. 

“You have her dark eyes and this hair is all hers. You might be stuck with my nose and chin; luckily, I’m still devilishly handsome so this bodes well for you,” he smirked. “But you are your mother’s son. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be a genius like me.”

Tony’s eyes fluttered with drowsiness but they didn’t remain closed too long. 

“I mean, I had to be pretty smart to snatch your mother up before someone else did because she is something else. Make sure you find yourself a woman like her someday, kid.”

Tony yawned again, the pacifier slipping from his mouth, his eyes slipping closed as he finally gave in to the feeling of sleep lulled by the sound of his father’s voice.

* * *

**Jarvis - 1985**

“You leave in two days and you haven’t packed anything?”

Jarvis stared at the empty suitcases in disbelief. He didn’t know why he expected his young charge to have packed already. He’d known him since he was a baby. His head was always twelve steps ahead of him, always solving the next problem. The future was the present and the present was the past. 

Tony paused his video game. He glanced around the room, looking at the same empty suitcases, before unpausing his game and resuming play.

“I’ll just throw some stuff in a few bags tomorrow,” he said nonchalantly. “It’ll be fine.”

Jarvis suppressed a horrified shiver. 

“It most certainly will not be fine. One must always put one’s best effort forward. No matter where you are, one must always look their best.”

“You could…pack for me.” Tony gave him a side eye. “You know, so I look my best.”

Jarvis knew an angle when he saw one but he couldn’t resist. He loved a beautifully organized suitcase.

They carried about their respective tasks in silence for a while. Jarvis was used to far greater distractions than the tinny ringing sound of coins in the background. He simply went about packing the necessities and coordinating outfits he knew would never be put to use anyway.

So absorbed in his task was he that he never noticed when the noises stopped. 

“Hey, Jarvis?” Tony asked at the butler’s side.

“Yes, Master Stark?”

“What do you think school will be like?” he asked.

Jarvis knew he wasn’t asking about the schooling itself. He’d already been away from home, for far too long in Jarvis’ opinion, at boarding school so the jitters associated with being away from home for the first time couldn’t possibly be plaguing the young man.

“I’m sure you won’t be the only young man there,” he assured the boy. “MIT is a meeting grounds for like minded intelligent people. You’ll be right at home in no time creating new inventions and meeting all types of people that share your passions.”

“Yeah, and then I get to work with dad at the company.”

Jarvis didn’t need to see the boy to know he was rolling his eyes. 

There had been more than one argument lately between old and young Stark as they discussed the future. Howard wanted Tony to continue his legacy at Stark Industries. There was no doubt in his mind that as soon as Tony was done with his studies at MIT, he’d begin working with Howard learning the ropes of running the company. Tony had other ideas. Of course, his ideas weren’t concrete and Howard was never one for vague plans when it came to the company he’d built from the ground up. 

Needless to say, the house grew tense at the best of times when father and son were in the same room.

Jarvis weighed the benefits and consequences of his thoughts before speaking.

“I know how your father feels on the subject matter but you can always pick another path,” he said gently. “If there is something else you truly want to do, I’m sure you could work out an arrangement for the company so that you could pursue your dreams.”

Tony scoffed. He shuffled around his room, picking up random objects before discarding them in random succession. 

“So he can hate me more than he already does?”

“He doesn’t hate you, sir.”

Tony wagged his eyebrows and chuckled in a manner that suggested while he appreciated the words, he didn’t believe them. 

“Thanks, Jarv, but seeing as how I have no plans the old man currently approves of, it looks like I’ll be stuck at the company for the foreseeable future.”

“Then I guess you’ll simply have to show him a new side of yourself while you’re away at school,” Jarvis said cheerily. 

Tony laughed at the older man’s optimism. 

Jarvis cleared his throat. He hesitated before stepping over to the boy and resting a hand on his shoulder. 

“Whatever you decide, whatever you do, you could never let me down, Anthony.”

His tone was soft, soothing. He’d always seen the boy as somewhat of a son. As Howard had grown more distant over the years, Jarvis had stepped in discreetly. He never overstepped his bounds. He let Maria handle the boy when he was unruly and let her teach her son the qualities she wanted him to have. Jarvis tried to step in to provide encouragement and interest when it was sought but never given by the one Tony wanted it from the most.

They gazed at one another. Tony’s unruly hair fell down across his forehead and into his eyes. He was in desperate need of a haircut but Jarvis knew how that battle would go. 

“You know, Jarvis,” he sniffed, “For a British guy, you are surprisingly emotional.”

Jarvis gave a small smile. Deflection. Better. This was more familiar ground. He was well versed in deflection. 

“Well, you know me, sir,” he smiled.

They held eyes for a moment longer before Tony nodded and stepped away. He went back to his desk chair and picked up the video game controller, turning the console back on to resume his play. Jarvis nodded once and released a sigh, a strange calm coming over him.

Truth was, he was worried about Tony going away to MIT at such a young age. Howard was in such a rush to accelerate his only child. It wasn’t without cause; the boy simply couldn’t focus in classes where he already knew the subject matter better than the ones teaching it to him. College would be good for him. He needed classes that would challenge him and enable him to grow. 

He was worried the boy wouldn’t make any real friends. 

Most children his age were too normal for him, their focus on matters that didn’t interest Tony. When some found out who his father was, all they were interested in was the fame. That only irritated Tony. He was seeking to leave his father’s shadow but everyone around him was always eager to remind him exactly where he came from and what he had to live up to. 

It was difficult living up to the legacy someone else had created.

“I’ll invent something when I’m at MIT,” Tony said suddenly. “Something just for you. I’ve been thinking of a design for a robot. Maybe I’ll give it your voice.”

Jarvis chuckled uncomfortably. “No, no, sir. As I’ve told your father before, I have no desire to spend the rest of time as a disembodied voice.”

“Ah, come on, Jarv. A classy guy like you? You deserve to be immortalized.”

His voice dropped off as he began a new level on his game. Jarvis resumed packing. He moved about the room searching for the items he knew Tony would forget the pack but would be searching for as soon as he got there. The normalcy of their actions could almost make him forget the high emotions of earlier. 

“Hey, Jarvis?” Tony said softly after some time. 

“Yes, Master Stark?”

Jarvis glanced over at the boy to find him staring back at him, his face soft and vulnerable. 

“Thanks,” he said quietly. “For everything.”

Jarvis smiled. His throat felt tight all of a sudden.

“You’re quite welcome, Master Stark.”

* * *

**Peggy - 1986**

Peggy knocked sharply on door 516. When no one answered, she knocked again. When she still received no response, despite very girlish giggling happening on the other side of the door, she promptly banged her fist on the door three times. 

Ten o’clock in the morning and already she needed a drink.

She was about to bang on the door again when it swung open, a very irate teenager on the other side of it. His mouth was open to yell at the interloper when his eyes went wide.

“Aunt Peggy!”

“Hello, Tony,” Peggy smiled at her godson, absolutely delighted by his confusion.

“Uh, what are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry to drop by unannounced but I’m sure you don’t mind.”

Her tone told him she was nothing of the sort. 

The boy had developed the habits of his father. Peggy was only all to happy to return the favor. 

He glanced behind him and closed the door until his body was filling the space.

“Oh, uh, now’s not the best time.”

“Nonsense,” she insisted.

She pushed past him at the door, making a beeline for the young woman sitting on his bed trying her best to pretend she wasn’t there. She was attractive. Peggy bit back a sigh. He was Howard’s son all right. 

She gestured for the girl to stand. Her eyes remained downcast, though Peggy could tell her cheeks were flush with embarrassment. She was tall and Peggy guessed she was a few years older than her godson. Her godson was a charmer but she doubted that was the only reason this girl was here. 

The day before it had been announced in the papers that Stark Industries was now a multibillion-dollar company. 

Peggy smiled sweetly at the girl to put her at ease. 

“Surely you can find someone your own age with just as much money, dear.”

The girl’s mouth dropped open but she didn’t contradict her. Whether from shock or truth, Peggy didn’t particularly care. 

She continued, “I advise you focus on your studies. That is why you’re here after all. They’ll get you much further in life.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the girl mumbled. She quickly hurried away without even glancing at Tony.

“Really?” Tony said.

“I’m sure she was nice.”

Tony rolled his eyes as he closed the door. 

Peggy glanced around the room. It was smaller than the room he’d grown up in but he’d managed to make it look homely. She suspected that was Mr. Jarvis’ doing. His desk was below a wall of windows, allowing the room to look and feel bigger than it was. The desk looked more like the mess she was used to from him. He had drafting plans and coffee cups littered all over the surface. A pile of clothes was gathered in a chair next to a door. His bed was unmade and his shoes were strewn about the room. 

He pushed the clothes onto the floor so he could sit there.

“So. To what do I owe the pleasure, Aunt Peg? Dad send you to check up on me?”

She noticed he made no effort to offer her a seat

“I’m here on business and I thought I’d come see how you’re getting along.”

“Well, I was getting along just fine until you kicked - ” He waved his fingers in the direction of the door, “- what’s her name out the door.” 

“That’s just lovely,” she said dryly. 

He shrugged. “She’s only after the money anyway. You said so yourself. Why should I learn her name?”

As horrible as it was, she silently had to admit he had a point. She was constantly surrounded by people who only wanted a taste of the power. She’d long since stopped pretending to learn all of their names. Still, she expected better of her godson. 

She pointed to the drawings on his desk.

“Tell me about these.” She held one up in the light. “I hear you’re building some robots.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Who told you?”

“Does it matter? I know design sketches when I see them. They’re quite good.”

He had his father’s eye for design but his mother’s eye for detail. There were several different versions of his designs, each with some minute detail changed in search of the best version. 

She listened while he went into detail about his two robots – how they would hopefully be able to listen to him and learn from him. By now she was used to ‘inventor talk’ as she called it. She caught most of it but the finer details went in one ear and out the other.

Her godson held a special place in her heart. She made sure she always knew what he was up to in the same manner she kept track of her own children. Neither she nor Maria had been thrilled when Howard made the decision to send Tony off to the best boarding school money could buy. From the reports she’d received from her sources, Tony hadn’t appreciated it either. Howard had never understood that the boy needed more of his attention rather than less of it. For Howard it was enough that his son shared his genius.

Now in his second year at MIT, Tony was able to showcase what he could create outside the shadow of his father. She knew he craved recognition for his own achievements just as her children did. 

“I want to do an AI after the bots are finished. The market is opening back up for one but I don’t know that I want to share it once I get it up and running. I just want something that’ll run my numbers and assist me.”

She glanced at him.

“People can do that, too.”

“I trust the machines more,” he said softly. “Machines won’t lie to me just because my last name happens to be Stark.”

His words tugged at her heart. He had a charisma that drew people to him but lasting connections eluded him. He was much more at home amongst the droning of machines and the grease of cars. She’d only heard him mention one friend with any frequency, a James Rhodes. Her sources told her he was enlisting in the air force soon. Peggy could only hope the two men didn’t lose touch as their lives took them down different paths.

“What about when you’re done with these projects?” she asked. 

“Whatever the great Howard Stark has in store for me, I guess,” he said, the sarcasm dripping from his voice.

“Would you like some advice?” She didn’t bother waiting for a response. “Don’t let your father run your life.”

He scoffed. He picked up a small ball from the desk. He tossed it in the air nonchalantly while he spoke.

“You try saying no to a war hero.”

“I have, actually.” Her tone was chipper. It matched her amused smile. Telling Howard ‘no’ was sometimes her favorite part of the day. “On quite a regular basis. Now it’s just second nature.”

He chuckled. It was a genuine chuckle. One that reminded her of his childhood. She always liked the way it seemed to light up his whole face reminding her just how young the boy truly was.

She stepped over to him and cupped his cheek in her hand. She lifted his face until his eyes met hers. 

“I’m proud of you, Tony.”

He looked at her, confused. 

“It’s just robots. It’s not like I’m solving world peace.”

She nodded in agreement. “You’re right.”

He scrunched up his face. She obviously wasn’t supposed to agree with him.

“I’m still proud of you. I know you have good ideas in there.” She tapped his forehead with a manicured nail. “Your own ideas. Don’t waste them.”

He huffed out a laugh, the air from his nose blowing cold on her palm. 

“I wouldn’t want to disappoint you, Aunt Peg.”

His words were sarcastic but she saw something in his eyes. 

“You will because you’re young and you’re human,” she stated matter of factly. “We all make mistakes.”

He smirked.

“Even you?”

She pursed her lips to hold back her smirk.

“It’s been a while, but yes, even me.”

He was going to make plenty of mistakes. He was young and impulsive. He liked adrenaline and testing the unknown despite the consequences. He wouldn’t always have the right answer. He would disappoint plenty of people because not everyone could be pleased at once. She needed him to know all of this was okay. It was okay to be imperfect, to slip up, to go with the curve of learning. 

“It’s about how you learn from your mistakes and pick yourself back up. You’ll still be my godson in spite of it all.”

His smile was genuine and bright. Yes, he would break many hearts with that smile just as his father had but perhaps he wouldn’t be afraid to try and fail so long as he tried again. 

* * *

**Maria - 1987**

_‘They say we’re young and we don’t know…’_

Tony rolled his eyes when he heard the familiar music playing. There was truly no limit to how much his mother would play this record. 

She always turned the volume on high, too. The music went through the entire house until he could hear it in his bedroom, distracting him from his latest coding project.

He made his way around the house until he found her. She had papers strewn all about the table where she was supposed to be working on her latest idea but she was too busy dancing to pay attention to them.

“Mom, could you turn it down?” he asked. “I’m trying to code something pretty big here.”

She continued to dance. She smiled at her son and waved him closer to her. Despite his better judgement telling him to leave the room, he obeyed. 

“Dance with me, Antonio!”

Maria grabbed her son’s hands, throwing one behind her back. She guided him in her dance, never missing a beat.

Tony laughed but he didn’t stop her.

“You’re so embarrassing, mom.”

Maria smiled, lightly slapping his cheek before kissing it.

“Shut up and dance with your mother.”

And so he danced with her. It wasn’t the first time she’d roped him into this. He didn’t hate it as much as he let on. His mother spent as much time with him as she could but she was still a busy woman and he’d spent too much time away from home. It was these little moments that he remembered late at night when he was alone with his thoughts and far away from home. 

Maria continued to sing along with the song. Tony always thought it was funny how much she would get into singing their respective roles, though she normally enjoyed having someone else play the Sonny to her Cher.

“I’m not singing. You can’t make me.”

Maria continued to sing undeterred.

“Mom, this song doesn’t even apply to you and dad,” Tony pointed out. “When have you ever been poor?”

Maria scoffed at her son’s innocence.

"It's about love, Antonio. Love when life seems impossible. Love when life has never been so perfect. When people are ready to take on the world just to protect what they have because nothing can threaten happiness."

Tony eyed his mother skeptically. 

"You're reading a lot into a song by some hippies."

Maria chuckled and pat her son’s cheek affectionately. 

"One day you'll know."

Tony scoffed. “Okay sure, mom.”

* * *

**Pepper - 2008**

“And you have a meeting on Friday morning with the DoD to go over the terms of the contract and how we’d like to proceed.”

“Pass.”

Pepper clutched the papers in her lap when he took a corner sharply. 

“We’ve already pushed this meeting back to accommodate your schedule. You need to play nice with them. You are their least favorite person right now.”

Since Tony had declared Stark Industries would no longer be making weapons, the DoD was eager to remind him of his obligations and collect their property.

Frankly, Pepper had been surprised at his sudden announcement but she would be lying if she said his thought process didn’t intrigue her. For years, Stark Industries has been responsible for America’s safety but there was no denying the death and destruction that came with that badge of honor.

While the rest of the country was panicking at the thought that there would be no more weapons, Pepper was curious to see where Tony would focus his design energy.

Telling the country he was Iron Man would at the least show them he was still capable of innovative ideas.

“Have you even read the contract?”

“Yes, I have read it –”

“I bet they don’t even know what it says anymore and besides –”

“ – and Stark Industries has violated the terms egregiously.”

“How? That thing is a million years old.”

“Because it’s my job to know what you’re contractually obligated to do so that when situations like this come up, I know which lawyers to call. Not to mention the damage control I have to do.”

He scoffed. He took another corner of the PCH too sharply. Pepper gripped her phone tighter. One day he was going to give her a heart attack in his quest for adrenaline. 

“Who else are they going to give it to?”

“Well, Hammer Industries for one.”

“That guy’s a fucking joke. They’ll come crawling back to me before they settle for him.”

Pepper did not disagree. The quality of Hammer Industries weapons had been progressively deteriorating over the years. Justin Hammer was taking drastic shortcuts to compete with Stark Industries. 

“Which is the purpose of the meeting,” she reminded him. “We need to see how we can turn this into a salvageable agreement so as to not burn any bridges.”

“This isn’t the focus anymore,” Tony tried to brush off, his tone beginning to show agitation.

“I know that but we still need to play nice.”

“They just need to accept –”

“Friday morning,” she firmly interrupted what would undoubtedly be a long tangent. “Ten o’clock sharp. We will be early and you will be dressed in your best suit.”

He reached over and turned the volume up on the radio, a sign he was done with the conversation. 

Her life had quickly spiraled out of control after his announcement a month ago. Her phone never stopped ringing. The front entrance to SI was littered with reporters trying to get the latest word. Her calendar was constantly full with meetings and phone calls so she could give answers to questions she didn’t even have answers for. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d gotten a full night’s sleep. 

She let out a frustrated sigh and reached for the radio. She couldn’t handle the 80s hair bands at near max volume this morning. 

“I’m changing this. I can’t think with this playing.”

“You don’t mind it at the house.”

Pepper declined to point out that she did mind it but the environment wasn’t as small as the car they were in.

“That’s different. I’m not having to schedule and answer emails while panicking that we’re going to go careening off the highway in a ball of fire.”

She continued fiddling with the controls to find something more sedate to calm her growing nerves.

“We are not going to go careening off the highway,” he insisted. He leaned forward and patted the dashboard. “I would never do that to my car.”

She flashed him a fake smile, several choice words just barely being contained.

His belly laugh lightened the tension Pepper hadn’t even realized was starting to creep into her shoulders. 

She was just about to give up on the radio altogether – why was it everything seemed to go to commercial at the same time – when Tony’s hands brushed hers aside.

“Hey, go back.” He fiddled with the controls until he found the station that caught his attention.

_“I got you, babe.”_

Pepper’s eyes widened at his selection. She leaned back in her seat. She opened and shut her mouth a few times before settling with, “I didn’t realize you were a Cher fan.”

He glanced over at her with a blank expression. She knew, like every other weird quirk of his, there had to be an explanation but this one she couldn’t place. 

“Oh, yeah,” he deadpanned. “I leave the dressing up to others, though. The slinky dresses and headpieces just aren’t for me.” He looked over at her again, this time with a lascivious eye. “However, I think you’d look amazing in them. In fact, maybe we should change our plans and go shopping.”

She declined to respond to that.

“What’s so special about this song?” she asked.

He was silent for a bit. She could see him thinking over his response, more than likely thinking of how he wanted to word it. Even after all their years together, there were still details of the years before her he kept close to his heart.

“My mom used to love this song,” he said finally, removing his sunglasses. “She listened to it nonstop. She’d put the record player on at max volume and just play it on a loop sometimes. She’d make me dance to it with her.”

Pepper bit back a gasp of delight. “Did you sing, too?” 

Tony slipped his sunglasses back on. “No comment.”

Pepper’s laughter barked out before she could stop it. 

“You did! Please tell me there’s a tape of this somewhere.”

“No, but I have plenty of other tapes you could watch. Or you could just experience it for yourself. Personally, I think the second one is the better option.”

A leer from him. He was reverting back to his preferred territory.

Since coming home, the women rotating from his bed had ceased to exist. His presence in the public eye had dwindled as well. This second fact wasn’t limited to his time away, however. When he was caught in the excitement of a new design he often sheltered himself away for as long as it took for the project to be completed or until the high wore off.

Everything about him was different now. Different and still the same. He was the same Tony she had always known but more. More focused. More intense.

Sometimes the way he’d look at her at the end of a long day of fielding phone calls about his so-called superhero status – she still rolled her eyes at that – made her wish that night on the balcony had happened differently. If only she’d leaned in a little more, been a little more persistent. If only Tony hadn’t been listening to his head for a change. 

But it hadn’t. The moment had passed and Pepper was trying to pretend that it was just confusion on both their parts.

Now she had to remind herself of the boundaries that needed to exist between them.

Although some days she was forgetting why that was.

Their feelings were obvious in the moments they both let their guards down. Pepper tried not to let too many of those moments happen. She didn’t want to be so vulnerable again. Thankfully, Tony followed her lead.

A relationship between them could go one of two ways. It would burn bright and hot and last until old age. They were similar in many regards, one of which happened to be their loyalty. When they gave it, it was a forever type of deal. He would always keep her on her toes but she wouldn’t mind because she thrived on challenges. 

Or their potential relationship would go down in flames faster than it had begun because neither of them would be willing to concede.

Truthfully, if it was the latter, Pepper didn’t think it would fizzle out that fast. They already had a decade of verbally sparring with each other, each trying to make a case for why their plans were the better option. 

One thing it would never be was boring but was she willing to put everything on the line just to find out?

She smiled sweetly at him, the kind of smile she hit him with before telling him about a long day of meetings with senators and stuffed suits. 

“Pass.”

Tony pursed his lips. 

“I’ll wear you down one day, Pepper Potts.”

Pepper was loathe to point out to herself just how close he was to the mark. 

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Nintendo came out with Super Mario Bros in 1985 September so the video game he's playing is semi accurate. Maybe he's playing a tester version.


End file.
